JetBlue Offers Cheap Flights to Floridians and South Carolinians Who Need to Escape Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma is on a path of destruction towards Florida, and JetBlue is offering $99 direct flights to those who want to evacuate before the storm hits.

With areas of South Florida under mandatory evacuation, airline tickets out of the state are not cheap. According to Business Insider, some one-way domestic trips cost upwards of $1,000. Price gouging is often a symptom of natural disasters, but JetBlue has stepped in to make sure evacuation is affordable for as many as possible.

“We want those trying to leave ahead of the hurricane to focus on their safe evacuation rather than worry about the cost of flights,” Doug McGraw, a JetBlue spokesman, said.

The JetBlue price cap even extends to connecting flights, though these will cost you a bit more. Through September 13, JetBlue will honor the $99 and $159 (for connecting flights) prices for trips out of Florida — as well as Charleston International, Savannah/Hilton Head International, and select airports in the surrounding islands.

JetBlue has also laid out some rules for those who are traveling as a result of the hurricane. They are waiving all cancellation fees, change fees, and differences in prices for rebooking. (You can learn more about these hurricane waivers by visiting their website.) The New York-based airline company will also add flights out of certain cities when they have extra aircraft available.

Just days after Hurricane Harvey battered Texas and Louisiana, Hurricane Irma threatens Florida and, depending on the path, other states on the East Coast. The islands off Florida's coast, especially Barbuda, have been ravaged by the storm. According to CNN, Irma destroyed "upwards of 90 percent" of Barbuda, and the island's prime minister, Gaston Browne, says the place is "literally a rubble...It is just a total devastation."

Our thoughts go out to all those affected by both Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and we applaud JetBlue for doing their part to make sure families stay safe.